Employee In the Spotlight: Dave Schrijvers
12 Dec 2018

Here at Mopinion, our employees are the backbone of our business. They make it possible for us to create and deliver innovative software that guarantees real value for our customers. That is why we’ve created the Employee in the Spotlight series. It is our way of giving our readers and customers a face to the people behind our brand. This month we’re going to learn more about a special member of our product & development team.

Meet Dave. Having worked at Mopinion for nearly four years now, Dave is our go to guy for all things web development. Day in and day out, he works closely with our Customer Success team, aiding in special requests as well as developing new and exciting features for the Mopinion platform! But then again, that’s just his professional side. In his free time, he’s a head-banging rocker and LOTR lover who doesn’t fear the cold!

I recently sat down with Dave to talk about what it’s like to work at Mopinion. Here’s what he had to say…

What does your position at Mopinion entail?

As web developer Dave is responsible for a couple of key tasks…

“My work is more or less split into two different areas of focus: supporting the Customer Success team and developing new features in the platform. Both are challenging in their own ways. For example, with the Customer Success questions my work involves a lot of problem solving and strategic thinking, whereas creating new features is more developing and tweaking until the new feature is just how we want it!”

What initially drew you to Mopinion?

“I started here as intern, just trying to get some experience as a web developer, which is what I studied for. But during my time as an intern, I got a really good impression of the company and its value and realised it was the perfect place for me.”

What does a typical work day look like for you?

“No one day is ever the same. Everything depends on how busy the Customer Success team is and what’s going on support-wise. Usually I come in and start working on the features I need to develop that week or month and as soon as something comes up, I drop what I’m doing to help out, as the customers have priority.”

What is your favorite part about working at Mopinion?

“The whole atmosphere really. The work dynamic is great and the responsibility you have is entirely your own. You set your own path and have the freedom to decide how you work. I also really like that it’s a young team and that the managers work closely with everyone on the team, meaning short lines of communication. This seems to work really well.”

What are the biggest challenges you face in your job?

“Probably the fact that I’m constantly learning new things and acquiring new skills every day. It can get quite complex. For example, I learn something new, but then it doesn’t stop there. There are plenty of skills around that ‘new thing’ that I have to learn as well. It’s kind of like an expanding web of skills. But it’s certainly a fun and educational challenge!”

What is your proudest moment at Mopinion?

“The first time I ever released a feature on the platform that I created. It was such a cool feeling that I created it and it was being used to help our customers.”

And now for some fun facts about Dave….

What is your guilty pleasure?

“I like to sing loudly in my car along with the music (I can’t sing, really!). That includes riffs, drums and guitar solos”, he laughs.

What is your biggest hobby?

“I’m the bass player in my band, ‘The Royal Spuds’. We’ve been active for about six years now. And it’s really cool because since I’m a web developer I was able to create our logo, website and other multimedia materials!”

Pictured: The Royal Spuds

In fact, he told me that they’re releasing a CD at the end of this year and doing a mini tour next year, including a performance the Melkweg in Amsterdam! Pretty cool stuff…

What is your favorite quote?

Het is niet koud, het is frisjes. Min 28 graden is koud…

Translation: It’s not cold, it’s ‘chilly’. Minus 28 degrees is cold.

This is pretty fitting seeing as Dave is always walking around the office with just a t-shirt on in the winter! Viking blood? Who knows…

Who is your favorite superhero?

“I’m not really into superheroes but if I had to choose I’d say Rorschach from Watchmen. I like him because he’s kind of the ‘anti-superhero’. ”

What is your favorite movie?

“Lord of the Rings (the extended version). I’ve read all of J.R.R. Tolkien’s books.”

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

What is something that not many people know about you?

“I actually used to be classmates with our colleague Tjeerd at the Grafisch Lyceum. And on top of that, before I went to the Grafisch Lyceum, I had one year at the PABO, to become a teacher, including internships in group 8 and group 2, but it turned out that teaching was not my thing.”

Stay tuned for more!

We hope you enjoyed the first edition of Employee Spotlight series! Stay tuned for our January spotlight…